Club Benefits
I’ve finally settled on this year’s summer destination. My passport’s valid, vaccinations booked, and I’ve created a shortlist of novels to peruse by the pool. Yet, weeks before scanning my boarding pass, I’ll make sure I have one of the best VPNs downloaded ready for my travels, too.
Why? There are lots of good reasons — six, in fact, that I think are worth mentioning.
Whether shielding yourself from surveillance on public Wi-Fi, overcoming geo-blocks and censored sites in other countries, or helping to cut costs on things like flights, I’ll explain below why a VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a vital travel companion that helps me prolong that post-vacation glow.
1. I want cheap flights to fit my budget
I’d do (almost) anything to snag a bargain.
Consequently, I expect to sleepwalk off a red-eye to Luxor, Egypt, during the blazing heat of low season. But a VPN could help me avoid this scenario, or unearth even bigger savings.
Thanks to their IP-spoofing tech and networks of servers, I can avoid price discrimination practices whereby companies charge different prices based on factors like where you live and your region’s purchasing power.
Instead, I toggle between VPN servers, jotting down the airfare (or hotel or car hire, or whatever), and clear my cookies before the next search. Rinse and repeat, until I’m satisfied I’ve found a deal the U.K.’s money saving guru Martin Lewis would approve of.
2. It will keep my mobile activity private on public Wi-Fi
Public Wi-Fi can be like the Wild West, so I tend to fall back on my mobile data before boarding my flight. After touching down at passport control, jetlagged, and keen to contact home and avoid roaming fees, it’s tricker not to be tempted by the convenience of public Wi-Fi.
But — *spoiler alert* — these unencrypted networks risk exposing your data to a viper’s nest of online creeps. Hackers can monitor my personal emails, logins, and credit card details to score themselves an easy pay day, leaving me stuck on the phone talking fraud with my bank.
Fortunately, a VPN works by converting traffic between my device and the internet into unintelligible ciphertext. I just turn it on to secure my connection, so I don’t have to think about cybercrime while on café bar Wi-Fi and can enjoy my mojito in peace.
3. I can binge TV shows like 'Love Island U.K.' after a busy day sightseeing
I’ll admit it. After pondering ancient wonders and artefacts in museums, I’m even more excited to sink into the upholstery of my airconditioned hotel room and stream some comforting TV.
90s sitcom "Frasier" is a perennial go-to and, with a good streaming VPN, I can binge it using my Paramount Plus account. I’m paying for it after all, but you won't find that platform available in every region.
And my summer doesn’t officially start until "Love Island U.K." kicks off. Rather than wait, I teleport myself home via a remote U.K. server as episodes air on ITVX, thereby saving myself the purgatory of a week without the islanders’ incessant refrain of: “I got a text!”.
...music to my ears.
4. A VPN lets me access blocked sites (and brag about my visit to the Mummification Museum)
I’m especially relieved to have a VPN — and one with obfuscation technology — if I’m heading to a country with strict online censorship. China’s “Great Firewall” may be one of the best-known for blocking Western media, but internet censorship is a growing issue elsewhere too.
The U.A.E. and Egypt are among those that restrict VoIP (Voice-over-Internet-Protocol) services, prohibiting WhatsApp calls when abroad.
Thankfully, by re-routing my traffic through a remote server I can circumvent these bans and stay connected: regaling my friends at length about my ghoulish trip to Luxor's Mummification Museum, and with nary a roaming fee in sight.
5. Connect to a U.K. server to manage my personal affairs back home
Even deep in vacation mode, it’s easy to be drawn back to those omnipresent real-world affairs: bill payments, deliveries, grocery shopping… yada yada.
Spoofing my IP is invaluable if I need to transfer money. Local banks and companies like PayPal are wary of access attempts from IP addresses the other side of the world, so I can avoid my accounts being blocked by connecting to a relevant server first.
But my main concern is that the cupboards are stocked (with 'share-sized' chocolate bars) by the time I return, though again, it’s not always possible to access local services or certain online retailers from another country.
So I find a VPN server in the same location, and voila! I can have sugar, caffeine, and carbs waiting at home to curb my post-holiday comedown.
6. Security across all my devices, with just one VPN subscription
What’s better than secure connections, geo-spoofing, and uninhibited web access on your device? All of the above and on all of your tech, because most good VPNs will fortify your entire digital armory without incurring additional fees.
I almost always pack my iPhone, laptop, and smart TV device when traveling. Most providers offer 10 simultaneous connections, and hey, that’s more than enough for my needs. I can shield my mobile data while using hotel Wi-Fi and simultaneously, stream all my regional content on a screen bigger than a bookmark.
Furthermore, remote workers and those who want to cover family members can benefit from VPNs like Surfshark, which offer unmetered, unlimited connections, compatible with a wide range of platforms including Windows, Android, iOS, and Apple TV.
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
